A Cup of Water, a Death Sentence, and an Inspiring Story of One Woman’s Unwavering Faith.
Asia Bibi with Anne-Isabelle Tollet.
BroadStreet Publishing 2020.
This book is intended to be “inspiring”. My abiding emotion was sadness. Sad for the ten years of unjust imprisonment and beatings that Asia Bibi suffered. She is now living in asylum in Canada but remains at risk of assassination by Islamist extremists. I have huge admiration for her “unwavering faith” but upset that she suffered so much.
Asia Bibi, her husband and two daughters are a Christian family who lived in a largely Muslim village in Pakistan all their lives. In 2009, her female neighbour, Mafia, developed a grudge when a buffalo Asia Bibi was in charge of ran off and damaged Mafia’s water trough.
Sometime later, Asia Bibi was picking crops with other women of the village. The pay was per container filled:
“Looking at the enormous container, I thought I would never have time to finish before sunset. I looked at the other women’s basins and realized that mine was bigger. It was a way of telling me that as a Christian, I was worth less than the other women. Christians often receive less pay than Muslins for accomplishing the same tasks.” Page 37.
When Asia Bibi stopped for a drink from the water from the well, Mafia whipped up the other women to complain that she had contaminated the cup by a Christian drinking from a cup used by Muslims. The women verbally abused Asia Bibi and she replied:
“’Love one another. That is what Jesus teaches us. I am sure your Prophet Muhammad would agree with him.’
My audacity froze my companions before inflaming their anger even further, which Mafia triggered: ‘You Christian animal! Your mouth shouldn’t even speak the name of the Prophet.’
The women began to surround me, screaming, ‘Your Jesus is just a dog, too, a fatherless bastard. Muhammad had a father named Abdullah, whom he acknowledged. Christians are all worthless and impure. You have soiled our water, and you dare to speak of our Prophet. That is a crime, and if you don’t want to pay for it, then you must convert to Islam.’
‘Leave your husband and marry a Muslim man!’ shouted another. […]
I was dizzy from the women striking me and spitting on me.” Page 39.
The women went to the village imam. Asia Bibi was taken to court and the mullah of the village, who had not been present at the incident, claimed that she had blasphemed the Prophet Muhammad. She denied it, but in a trial that lasted a few minutes, the Judge sentenced her to death.
Her next ten years was spent in various prisons where the was beaten and an assassination attempt was made on her life. Her family had to go into hiding and there were attempts to kill them also. A Governor, and the Minister of Minority Affairs, who had spoken in support of her were both murdered.
Each day in her prison cell she would pray:
“Lord Jesus, I welcome your real and miraculous presence in all that I am, and this includes my wounds and frailties. I also receive you in all of my worries and all of my problems today. I am your cherished child despite my flaws. This morning, I am opening the door to my entire being to you and rejoice in knowing that you are with me.” Page 76.
Due to Western media attention, money for a lawyer was found and an appeal was made to the High Court. The High Court, under pressure from the Islamists, upheld the sentence. Eventually, her appeal went to the Supreme Court who overturned her conviction. Riots broke out in the country and she and her family were given asylum to Canada.
We don’t have much of the bigger picture in this book – there is little analysis of the political and legal context – it is her account from inside her prison cell. She concludes:
“Through my testimony, I would like to be able to help other people in Pakistan who are in the same situation I was in. I suffered for ten years, my children suffered, and it had an enormous impact on my life. I thank the Supreme Court for acquitting me, but so many others need a fair trial too. The world must pay attention to them. To anyone who is suffering in this way, I beg you to remain faithful to your beliefs, even if you are faced with the sword.” Pages 173-4.
Adrian Vincent
April 2025